Methane gas has bubbled to the surface in three residential water wells and two streams in Bradford County, in northeastern Pennsylvania, near a Chesapeake Energy Marcellus Shale gas drilling operation.

The state Department of Environmental Protection said it, along with Chesapeake, is continuing to investigate the source of the methane gas that began showing up in the water wells, two tributaries of Towanda Creek and a nearby wetland in Leroy Township on Tuesday.

Chesapeake's Morse well pad, which has two Marcellus gas wells, is about a half mile from the affected homes, according to a statement issued Thursday by Dan Spadoni, a DEP spokesman.

Mr. Spadoni said DEP Oil and Gas Program staffers collected gas samples at both wells on tuesday for the purposes of running isotopic gas fingerprinting tests. On Wednesday,DEP staff monitored water wells that were bubbling with methane and checked the homes fore methane.

"The investigation is ongoing," he said.

Mr. Spadoni said all three residential wells have been vented and methane monitoring alarms have been installed by Chesapeake. A mobile water treatment unit was set up at one home and a temporary water supply tank, commonly referred to as a "water buffalo," was installed at another. Two homes are receiving bottled water.

Chesapeake did not respond to a request for comment this afternoon, but the DEP said a company consultant is continuing to assess private water wells at the three affected homes as well as other water wells around the Morse well pad.

Why is Shells name used in the subject line? The article said Chesapeake. Just curious. About 1/2 half mile away the company may fall under the presumed guilty requirements (2500') of the new Act 13.We shall see.

Thanks for posting this Jack. I used to think that "we could have our cake and eat it too" when it comes to Shale Drilling. That, properly utilized and monitored, technology would permit us to get our energy with minimal impact to the environment. After past couple years, I'm not so sure--methane in ground water, fish kills, poor waste treatment, illegal dumping, explosions, and even earthquakes around well sites have filled me with doubt. Regardless how deep the fracking occurs or even how carfully it is done, there is a potential domino effect that may occur, in either leeching or physical shifting of the ground/rock caused by the tremendous forces of the fracking process, and directly impacting our lives in a negative way.

Posted on: 2012/5/26 9:59

_________________
"I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't." --John Gierach

"Rape the land, make a buck, move on, let someone else deal with it." Flyswatter said it all. We did the same thing with coal and 50 years later the town of Centralia is still burning!! WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN!!!!!

St. Paul once observed that there is a "war in my members." ["I do that which I wish not to do and do not do what I wish to do."]

Greed is an overpowering influence, as was observed likewise by the Buddha.

I don't want to be alarmist, but I think that we will always struggle with the desire for worldly benefit and the desire to preserve the environment and the outcome will be determined by which side of the issue is "heard" in our government. We know that greed rules in many instances, but there are a lot of good people that remain silent and therefore are NOT heard, even though they should be. Please do not be one of them. Remember, we are the vast majority, but we are under-funded. Word of mouth, however is a vlauable tool and even is capable of equalizing power between those who would put aside clean streams, etc. for a short-term profit.

Posted on: 2012/5/27 10:30

_________________The doctrine of free will is the invention of the ruling class.